Clarissa Lee Writes In Voices Of Feminism And . - University Of Florida

Sylvia Plath achieved her claim to fame as achildren’s writer posthumously. The It-Doesn’t-MatterSuit wasn’t published until 1996, long after beingpenned in 1959 (Paul). The writer’s career would spanfor three children’s books all of which published longafter her death in 1963.She began writing for children on her honeymoon,saying, “Writing for children is a curiousoccupation” (qtd. Paul). It wasn’t until researcherslooking for a new set of poems and short stories atIndiana University discovered Plath’s children’sstories, and sent them to her publisher.1Clarissa Lee writes in Voices of Feminism andSchizophrenia in Plath’s Poetry “Being highlyambitious and gifted, while low in self-esteem andself-confidence, led to her psychological problems andmanic depression.” Plath’s main attempt at showingself-image is through the use of color. The first colorthe reader is introduced to Max’s “green-ness” of hisgreen sweater, green wool socks, and green felthunting hat. Green is a motif forgrowth, change, and lack ofexperience, because Max is theyoungest member of the family.The idea of green as a symbol ofgrowth is seen on page 7 whenMax is among the town by himselfon the lush green landscape withhis cat, with the bright yellow sunand Winkelburg town on thebackdrop. The reader finds Maxalone, with the exception of his cat.When Max puts on the Suit, hedoes everything the Nix family wasintimidated by doing in the suit,such as skiing, fishing, or riding abike. Max, instead of being alonewith his cat, is now surrounded bythe town. This is seen visually onthe two-page spread whenillustrators depict the town stickingtheir heads out of their windows tosee Max in his “wonderful” suit.Every character depicted visuallylooking at Max with their facessmiling with amazement and happiness at the suit.2

3One aspect the adult reader knows going into the book is thatSylvia Plath committed suicide in 1963 after a long battle withmanic depression. Anne Stevenson notes on Plath’s biography,that around the time she was writing in 1959, Plath was dealingwith her suicide attempt at the age of twenty-one, exposing herpsyche and the traumatic breakdown. When examining SylviaPlath’s personal journals, she writes in 1959 thatshe was learning to “be true of my ownweirdnesses” (Plath, Journals, 501-502). The ItDoesn’t Matter Suit is a subtle nod of hope atSylvia Plath’s struggle with mental illness. Plath’sdamaged personalityand woundedpsyche are evidentin The It-Doesn’tMatter Suit throughthe use of yellow.Yellow is often thecolor for joy,happiness,excitement, andconfidence. It’soften thought thatVincent Van Goghwould eat the coloryellow, because hefound it to be sohappy. It appearsthat Plath is sending a message to the child toaccept his or her own personality and be true tohis or her weirdnesses.4

However, not all members of the Nix family feel that yellowis a symbol they can relate to and find happiness or comfort.The greatest example is when the patriarch of the family,Papa Nix puts on the suit and remembers that the otherbankers wear dark blue or dark greysuits,” and that “they would thinkthe suit was too gay for asensible banker” (20). By beingthe patriarch of the family, PapaNix sets the example foraccepting the queerness of selfidentity and self-image. Byrefusing the suit, the suitbecomes a symbol of anxiety forthe Nix father and sons. Thissense of anxiety is greatlynoticed on page 24, when Emil,who races toboggans, imagineswearing the suit during a race.Visually, the reader notices hisfriends, who wear “brownzipper-jackets and brown pants”look onward at the suit withgazes of awe and shock. Hisfriends and fellow competitorsfaces show frowning, and onsome a wrinkled brow. Becauseno one else has worn such a suit,Emil must give the suit down theline, stating that it is “toobig” (25).65

While the yellow-ness of the suit can be read as a symbol of societal acceptance andcritique, it can also be viewed under a political lens. Yellow is often the term for raciallyderogatory terms, given to Asians and other people of color. People who associated with Asiansin less progressive times were deemed ashaving “yellow fever.” In another lens, theyellow suit can be viewed as exotic. The ItDoesn’t-Matter-Suit lacks people of color,particularly black and Asian characters. Thegreatest example of this is seen on the twofold spread when Max is parading through thetown in his yellow suit. The looks on thetownspeople’s faces are astonished and onsome appear to be excited. What is mostinteresting about this scene is the man in thefull green suit and hat on the right hand side,again showing the stability of the known, andthe safety of the old. A green house with adonkey, and another man in green overallsflanks the man.Little know picture books are a treasure,particularly when they come from the troubledminds and creative genius of writers gone toosoon. They become artifacts in the canon ofchildren’s literature, and allow the reader,young and old, a brief lapse back intochildhood.7

Works CitedImagesLee, Clarissa. "AS/SA No 14, Article 3: LEE Clarissa,"Voices of Feminism and Schizophrenia in Plath'sPoetry"" AS/SA No 14, Article 3: LEE Clarissa, "Voices ofFeminism and Schizophrenia in Plath's Poetry" AppliedSemiotics, 2004. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.Rotraut Susanne Berner, illus. The It-Doesn’t-MatterSuit. By Sylvia Plath St. Martins: New York, 1996.Print.Paul, Lissa. ""Writing Poetry for Children Is a CuriousOccupation": Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath." "WritingPoetry for Children Is a Curious Occupation": TedHughes and Sylvia Plath. The Horn Book Magazine, May2005. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.Plath, Sylvia, and Rotraut Susanne. Berner. The It-doesn'tmatter Suit. New York: St. Martin's, 1996. Print.Plath, Sylvia, Ted Hughes, and Frances MonsonMcCullough. The Journals of Sylvia Plath. New York:Dial, 1982. Web.

Poetry"" AS/SA No 14, Article 3: LEE Clarissa, "Voices of Feminism and Schizophrenia in Plath's Poetry" Applied Semiotics, 2004. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. Paul, Lissa. ""Writing Poetry for Children Is a Curious Occupation": Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath." "Writing Poetry for Children Is a Curious Occupation": Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. The Horn Book .